1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile computing devices, and more particularly but not exclusively to mobile computing devices that are subject to roaming fees.
2. Description of the Background Art
Mobile computing devices, such as smart phones and portable computers (e.g., laptops, tablets), may be employed on the go and away from their usual geographic location. For example, business travelers or vacationers may employ their mobile phones (e.g., smart phones) abroad or in some other location where their wireless carrier charges a roaming fee. Roaming fees are based on network bandwidth consumption, can be quite high, and may come as a surprise to some users. Given the data size of available web data, such as webpages, streaming media, on-line games, etc., available on the Internet, it is relatively easy to inadvertently consume large bandwidth, and accordingly incur a large roaming fee, when using a mobile computing device in roaming mode.
Various approaches have been tried to alleviate surprises relating to roaming fees. One approach is to send a warning message to users that have accumulated an exorbitant amount of roaming fees. Another approach is to allow users to set a limit on bandwidth consumption and be notified when the limit is reached. Yet another approach is to get a subscriber identity module (SIM) card with preset or unlimited wireless access abroad. Yet another approach is to estimate roaming fees based on information manually entered by the user into a stand-alone program in a single estimate session.